A long-simmering noise dispute in a North Side Milwaukee apartment building ended in deadly gunfire, leaving one man dead, another jailed and an entire complex rattled. Police say 32-year-old Joshua Jordan, who lived downstairs, shot and killed his upstairs neighbor, 42-year-old Gregory McElwee Jr., during a hallway confrontation over noise. McElwee was pronounced dead after the shooting, and officers say the suspect fled the building and led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash.
Confrontation described in the criminal complaint
According to the criminal complaint, the two men had been locked in a months-long dispute over noise. Jordan, identified as the downstairs tenant, had repeatedly complained to the landlord. On the morning of May 27, investigators say Jordan called the landlord about the issue, then called again about 30 minutes later and said he would “take care of it himself.”
The complaint states that Jordan then went to confront the upstairs unit. As the argument grew heated, McElwee’s teenage son began recording video. Prosecutors allege Jordan opened fire in the hallway, chased McElwee toward his apartment and kicked the door open after McElwee tried to shut it. A neighbor later reported hearing a man say, “I told that [expletive] to stop f---ing with me,” according to Law&Crime.
Family, witnesses and the scene
McElwee’s son told officers he found his father on the floor with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the chest, then called 911. Emergency responders pronounced McElwee dead at the scene.
Family members say McElwee was an Army veteran and a father of six, describing him in local coverage as a loving and involved dad. In court on Monday, a commissioner set Jordan’s cash bond at $350,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing for June 11, according to CBS 58. Neighbors told reporters the dispute had dragged on for months and that the shooting has left the building shaken.
Evidence, chase and arrest
Investigators say they recovered a fired casing and an unfired 9mm Hornady cartridge in the building’s upper hallway, along with blood in the stairwell and damage to McElwee’s door consistent with being kicked. A shoeprint on the door appeared to match a Nike Air Max 95, a detective noted in the complaint.
A neighbor reported seeing a man bent over in the hallway holding a black semi-automatic handgun and said she watched him rack the slide. The complaint also alleges Jordan picked up bullets from the floor and put them in his pocket.
Police say Jordan fled in a black Audi, reached speeds of about 100 miles per hour and tried to outrun officers for roughly four miles before crashing into construction barrels along Capitol Drive, where he was taken into custody. A search of his apartment turned up a gun box and loose Hornady 9mm cartridges that investigators say matched ammunition found at the scene, according to Law&Crime.
Charges and next steps
Court records show Jordan is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, along with related counts that include reckless endangerment and fleeing officers. He is due back in Milwaukee County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing on June 11. Prosecutors requested and the court set bond at $350,000, and a judge will review the complaint as the case moves forward, according to CBS 58.
Where this fits in Milwaukee
The killing comes as Milwaukee continues to wrestle with lethal violence even as some other crimes trend downward. City data showed homicides increased in 2025 while overall crime dropped, according to WTMJ. Local officials have repeatedly called reducing homicides a top priority and have pointed to community-based prevention efforts and tenant-landlord mediation as key tools to keep volatile disputes from turning deadly.
